Published: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 5:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 5:29 p.m.

When Fresh Market employee Wendy Kimpton first got involved with her store's “Hope Floats” benefit for juvenile diabetes in 1994, she never imagined it would become personal.

Kimpton was working for The Fresh Market in Asheville when the Greensboro-based company held its first sidewalk sale to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, selling root beer floats, hot dogs and ice cream sundaes outside the store.

The foundation is the leading global organization focused on Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease affecting 3 million Americans. Last year's “Hope Floats” benefit raised $440,000 for diabetes research; Fresh Market organizers hope to better that by $10,000 this year.

“The owners' wife had Type 1 diabetes, so that's why they originally started doing this,” Kimpton said. “It was a chance to get out of the building, it was a great cause, so everybody started doing it. But you never think that it's actually going to be something you need.”

Just before last year's 18th annual Hope Floats benefit, Kimpton's daughter Haley, then 2, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The normally chatty, precocious toddler started acting lethargic and her cheeks grew sunken.

“We just thought she had a cold, a little virus or something,” said Kimpton, who had since become deli manager at the Hendersonville store. “She started getting dehydrated, but we didn't know it was her blood sugar. Within about 24 hours, it turned really, really fast and she got awful sick.”

Kimpton rushed Haley to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital in Columbus, where blood tests showed her daughter's blood sugar level was over 600 milligrams per deciliter. In a non-diabetic person, levels of 135 to 140 milligrams per deciliter are considered normal after eating.

“They gave her an insulin drip to get some back into her system and started calling around to find an ambulance to take her to Asheville,” Kimpton said.

Haley's mom now has to inject her with a fast-acting insulin every time she eats, as well as a longer-lasting insulin twice a day that a constantly moderates insulin levels in her blood. For Haley, the daily injections have just become part of life.

“She'll kind of kick around and fidget, but she knows she's got to have it,” Kimpton said. “Sometimes she'll ask for her shot. She'll come tell you when she gets low, because she can feel her blood sugar is dropping. She'll say, 'Check my finger – I need a snack.'”

On Sunday, Haley donned her pink “Haley's Hope” ball cap, a cute dress her grandmother sewed her out of a “Hope Floats” benefit T-shirt and a set of plastic gloves. She helped Fresh Market volunteers scoop ice cream and pour root beer, cheerfully chatting away with patrons and staff.

From all outward appearances, Haley is a picture of health, but her mother knows her condition carries lifelong risks. Diabetes can cause kidney failure, lower-limb circulatory problem and blindness and is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, according to the JDRF.

And then there are the financial burdens. Kimpton made up a poster she placed at the sidewalk sale based on her own insurance records. It showed a typical uninsured Type 1 diabetic could spend more than $23,000 yearly on treatments and insulin delivery.

Doctors have told Kimpton to expect a visit to the emergency room about once a year, due to a serious complication called ketoacidosis. The disease also brings with it a variety of lifestyle changes.

“Any time she goes out of the house, she's got to have shoes on,” Kimpton said, explaining that diabetes increases the likelihood of serious foot infections. Haley also has to watch what she eats and she'll be home-schooled because of the constant need for blood sugar monitoring.

Wearing a pink ball cap to match her granddaughter's, Joyce Kimpton watched Haley draw pictures with crayons between runs to help serve Hope Floats patrons. Joyce Kimpton hopes the benefit will raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes so other families are aware of symptoms.

“If a kid is acting as if they're tired and they don't want to do anything, go get their blood sugar tested,” she advised parents. “Because we had no history of diabetes in our family.”

Mission Health will sponsor a walk to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. To register or for more information, call 888-533-WALK or visit walk.jdrf.org.

<p>When Fresh Market employee Wendy Kimpton first got involved with her store's “Hope Floats” benefit for juvenile diabetes in 1994, she never imagined it would become personal.</p><p>Kimpton was working for The Fresh Market in Asheville when the Greensboro-based company held its first sidewalk sale to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, selling root beer floats, hot dogs and ice cream sundaes outside the store.</p><p>The foundation is the leading global organization focused on Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease affecting 3 million Americans. Last year's “Hope Floats” benefit raised $440,000 for diabetes research; Fresh Market organizers hope to better that by $10,000 this year. </p><p>“The owners' wife had Type 1 diabetes, so that's why they originally started doing this,” Kimpton said. “It was a chance to get out of the building, it was a great cause, so everybody started doing it. But you never think that it's actually going to be something you need.”</p><p>Just before last year's 18th annual Hope Floats benefit, Kimpton's daughter Haley, then 2, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The normally chatty, precocious toddler started acting lethargic and her cheeks grew sunken.</p><p>“We just thought she had a cold, a little virus or something,” said Kimpton, who had since become deli manager at the Hendersonville store. “She started getting dehydrated, but we didn't know it was her blood sugar. Within about 24 hours, it turned really, really fast and she got awful sick.”</p><p>Kimpton rushed Haley to the emergency room at St. Luke's Hospital in Columbus, where blood tests showed her daughter's blood sugar level was over 600 milligrams per deciliter. In a non-diabetic person, levels of 135 to 140 milligrams per deciliter are considered normal after eating. </p><p>“They gave her an insulin drip to get some back into her system and started calling around to find an ambulance to take her to Asheville,” Kimpton said.</p><p>Haley's mom now has to inject her with a fast-acting insulin every time she eats, as well as a longer-lasting insulin twice a day that a constantly moderates insulin levels in her blood. For Haley, the daily injections have just become part of life. </p><p>“She'll kind of kick around and fidget, but she knows she's got to have it,” Kimpton said. “Sometimes she'll ask for her shot. She'll come tell you when she gets low, because she can feel her blood sugar is dropping. She'll say, 'Check my finger – I need a snack.'”</p><p>On Sunday, Haley donned her pink “Haley's Hope” ball cap, a cute dress her grandmother sewed her out of a “Hope Floats” benefit T-shirt and a set of plastic gloves. She helped Fresh Market volunteers scoop ice cream and pour root beer, cheerfully chatting away with patrons and staff.</p><p>From all outward appearances, Haley is a picture of health, but her mother knows her condition carries lifelong risks. Diabetes can cause kidney failure, lower-limb circulatory problem and blindness and is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, according to the JDRF.</p><p>And then there are the financial burdens. Kimpton made up a poster she placed at the sidewalk sale based on her own insurance records. It showed a typical uninsured Type 1 diabetic could spend more than $23,000 yearly on treatments and insulin delivery. </p><p>Doctors have told Kimpton to expect a visit to the emergency room about once a year, due to a serious complication called ketoacidosis. The disease also brings with it a variety of lifestyle changes.</p><p>“Any time she goes out of the house, she's got to have shoes on,” Kimpton said, explaining that diabetes increases the likelihood of serious foot infections. Haley also has to watch what she eats and she'll be home-schooled because of the constant need for blood sugar monitoring. </p><p>Wearing a pink ball cap to match her granddaughter's, Joyce Kimpton watched Haley draw pictures with crayons between runs to help serve Hope Floats patrons. Joyce Kimpton hopes the benefit will raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes so other families are aware of symptoms.</p><p>“If a kid is acting as if they're tired and they don't want to do anything, go get their blood sugar tested,” she advised parents. “Because we had no history of diabetes in our family.”</p><p>Mission Health will sponsor a walk to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. To register or for more information, call 888-533-WALK or visit walk.jdrf.org.</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>